Rotary railroad car dumping apparatus



Nov. 30, 1965 E. E. CHEEK 3,220,576

ROTARY RAILROAD CAR DUMPING APPARATUS Filed April 24, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR Di/A 7P2? 50/0177 ATTOEh/Ef 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. E. CH EEK INVENTOR. KDh/ pATC'A'EE z BY A TTOEMEY.

ROTARY RAILROAD CAR DUMPING APPARATUS Nov. 30, 1965 Filed April 24, 1963 III @J Q/ i. K ON I|M IUJPIF 1 n id x .1 I 1 0 i v I T i mm m t Nov. 30, 1965 E. E. CHEEK ROTARY RAILROAD CAR DUMPING APPARATUS 5 SheetsSheet 3 Filed April 24, 1965 I N VEN TOR. 5:) W420 LCf/EEK BY fl ATTOIEMEX Nov. 30, 1965 E. E. CHEEK ROTARY RAILROAD CAR DUMPING APPARATUS Filed April 24, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. [.0 VAFDATGvai EW Nov. 30, 1965 E. E. CHEEK ,220

ROTARY RAILROAD CAR DUMPING APPARATUS Filed April 24, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 i INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,223,576 RQTARY RAILRGAD AR DUMERNG APPARATUS Edward E. Cheek, Cieveland, Chin, assignor, by mesne assignments, to MeDowell-Weiiman Engineering Qumpan y Filed Apr. 24, 1963, Ser. No. 275,325

(Ilaims. (Cl. 214-55) This invention relates to rotary railroad dumping devices, and more particularly to means for ejecting empty railroad cars from a rotary dumping device after the dumping operation and the car has been returned to its normal upright position, and/ or retarding and positioning loaded cars before the dumping cycle begins.

Rotary railroad car dumpers are now in relatively wide use at collier or shiploading loading sites. In general, the rotary car dumping apparatus is mounted over a suitable bulk material receiving hopper, and somewhat elevated with respect to an adjacent railroad car yard. Selected cars are fed up an inclined track portion by any suitable means, such as for example a barney, for disposition in the rotary car dumping apparatus, and dis charge of the car contents into the hopper below. While it is possible to use the incoming cars powered by the bar-ney as a means for ejecting empty cars from the dumping apparatus, this has not been found to be wholly satisfactory, particularly when dumping cycles of the order of 40 to 60 seconds from upright position to inverted position and back to normal upright position are employed. Also when cars are emptied to tandem it is convenient to have means for locating a reference point on the lead car, for example, to aid in retarding and positioning the cars, and also at the conclusion of the dumping cycle to supply sufiicient impetus to the cars so that they are propelled down a run-off incline for transfer to an empty car storage sector of the yard.

Accordingly, the present invention is in the provision of an improved car acceleration controlling mechanism adapted to coact with a rotary car dumping apparatus to remove empty railroad cars from the apparatus, and/ or aid in retarding and positioning full cars within the cradle of a rotary railroad car dumper prior to clamping and inversion.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, the following description and an nexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but a few of the various forms in which the principle of this invention may be employed.

This invention will be better understood by having reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partially cut away end view of one form of rotary railroad car dumping apparatus in which there has been installed railroad car acceleration controlling means in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of car handling apparatus in accordance herewith.

FIG. 3 is a top elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and also showing the location of railroad car holding clamps.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken in the offset planes indicated by the line 4-444 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of car handling apparatus shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the hydraulic traveling cylinder-stationary piston apparatus for moving the car acceleration controlling means.

H as a check plate or pushing pad.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional elevation of the hydraulic cylinder and a front elevation of the pistol taken in the plane indicated by the line 77 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the hydraulic line connector block showing the structure of the adapter as it appears in the plane indicated by the line 8-8 in PEG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the hollow piston rod, showing the disposition of the traveling cylinder in the carriage frame as it appears in the plane indicated by the line 9-9 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the traveling cylinder and an elevation of the carriage frame which is welded thereto as it appears in the plane indicated by the line 1010 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the hollow piston rod on the opposite side of the piston from the section of the rod shown in FIG. 9, and also showing an elevation of the terminal bushing at one end of the traveling cylinder.

FIG. 12 is an arrangement of the car engaging arm extremity of the hydraulic cylinder showing the attachment of the hallow piston rod, and showing the details in cross section.

FIG. 13 is a top elevation of the engaging arm extremity of the traveling cylinder as shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the hollow piston rod and an end elevation of the thrust block as it appears from the plane indicated by the line 1444 in FIG. 12.

Briefly stated, the present invention is the provision in a rotary railroad car dumping apparatus of car acceleration controlling means including a carriage having an upstanding car engaging arm extending from one thereof and adapted to engage a portion of a railroad car such Movement of the carriage is effected through the coaction of a traveling cylinder and a stationary piston rod which is fixed relative to the rotary car dumping apparatus. The piston rod is provided with a piston intermediate its extremities and mounted for coaction with the traveling cylinder. Hydraulic means are provided for effecting movement of the cylinder. Means are also provided for positioning the arm into and out of engagement with the railroad car.

The term acceleration is used herein in a broad sense including both negative acceleration or slowing down and positive acceleration or speeding up. These changes may occur, and usually do occur, toward or from a zero speed as a reference point where positioning occurs.

As indicated above, FIG. 1 shows an end view of a typical railroad car dumping apparatus partially cut away in order to show the car acceleration controlling apparatus in position therein. It will be observed that the entire acceleration controlling apparatus is mounted for rotation about an axis which is parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotary car dumper, the amount of such rotation being indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1, and showing the engaged and disengaged positions of the engaging arm. While any suitable means may be provided for effecting the slight angular rotation of the apparatus required for engagement and disengagement, hydraulic means are shown in the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1. These elements are all shown in greater detail in later figures and will accordingly be discussed with specific reference to such figures.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 2 through 5, there is here shown a car engaging arm carriage generally indicated at 10, which carriage is movable along a path parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotary car dumper and between the points indicated by the letters R for reset and E for engage or disengage. In a preferred embodiment the total travel distance between points R and E is 12 feet. Secured to one extremity of the carriage is a car engaging arm 11 which is so adapted and constructed as to be engageable with a portion of a railroad car, such as a cheek plate, and strong enough to change the inertia of the railroad car in response to a hydraulically applied force.

The carriage Ill, as best shown in FIG. 4, is comprised of two sections, one of which is adapted to contain the traveling hydraulic cylinder 12, and the other of which is a guide way for a stationary guide member 13 which is adapted to coact with horizontal rollers 14 and vertical rollers 15, coacting in grooves 16 and 17, respectively, to stabilize the carriage 10. The horizontal and vertical stabilizing rollers 14 and are conveniently located at each end of the carriage 10.

As indicated above, guide 13 and piston rod 18 are fixed longitudinally, that is they do not move axially of the rotary car dumper. Guide 13 is provided at one extremity with a guide supporting bracket 19 which is in turn mounted for limited rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the car dumper, and formed by vertically extending pin support 20 which is secured to the rotary car dumper frame 21 by pin 22 rotatably mounted in support 20 and carrying bracket 19.

The opposite extremity of guide 13 is similarly mounted on pin support 23 secured as by welding to the frame 21 of the rotary car dumper and coacting through pin 24 with guide supporting bracket 25. As best shown in FIG. 5, guide supporting bracket 25 is provided with a laterally extending arm 26, the extremity of which is secured by means of pivot 27 to hydraulically operated link 28 to effect that degree of rotation of the carriage, guide and piston rod assembly required for engagement and disengagement of the car engaging arm 11, these respective positions being shown in dotted lines in FIG. 5.

An extension 30 of guide support bracket 25 is provided to form a pedestal or anchor plate 31 to which thrust reaction means 32 for the extremity of piston rod 18 are secured. The opposite extremity of piston rod 18 is supported in thrust reaction means 33. Hydraulic fluid is fed to or released from the interior of hollow piston rod 18 through flexible hoses fitted into end blocks 50 and 59a which are of similar construction and suitably fitted with hydraulic fluid line connectors, and securely fastened to the extremities of the rod 18. Thrust bearings 96 and 96a coacting with anchor blocks 32 and 32a which are in turn mounted securely on the respective guide supporting brackets 30 and 19 serve to fix the position of piston rod 13 longitudinally and permit its slight angular displacement about pins 22 and 24.

Thus, it will be seen, that a system including a guide- Way and a stationary piston rod which are longitudinally fixed, but rotatable through a relatively small angle on an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotary car dumper has been provided. Carriage 10 is movable along the piston rod 18 guide-way 13 assembly in a direction which is parallel to the axis of rotation of the car dumper.

Partially shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2 are the outlines of railroad car clamping means 35 and 36.

FIGS. 5 through 10 show the details of construction of the traveling cylinder 12 and the stationary piston and piston rod 18 assembly Piston rod 18 is hollow, and provided at a point intermediate its extremities with a stationary piston 40. Piston is provided with a suitable sealing means such as piston rings 41 of a suitable material, such as leather, coacting with the inner walls of traveling cylinder 12 to divide cylinder 12 into two chambers which, for convenience, will hereinafter be referred to as chamber A and chamber B.

Piston rod 18 is divided into two parts by piston 49, part 18A being a hollow elongated tubular member welded at one end to the piston 40, and closed at its opposite extremity by plug 42. Piston rod section 18B is also welded at one extremity to piston 40 opposite to the connection of portion 18A, and closed at its opposite extremity by plug 43.

Piston 40 is provided with a plurality of ports 44 which extend completely through the piston 40 and communicate with the interior of hollow piston rod portion 18A. Thus, fluid in the interior of piston rod portion 18A may flow through the piston 40 into chamber A.

In like manner, piston 40 is also provided with oppositely directed ports 45 which pass entirely through piston 40 and communicate with the interior of piston rod section 18B. Accordingly, fluid from the interior of piston rod section 1813 may flow through piston 40 into chamber B. Ports 44- and 45 do not communicate with each other, a convenient arrangement for such ports being shown more clearly in FIG. 6.

The plugged extremities of piston rod 18 are supported in a convenient block, the construction of which for each end is substantially the same except for differences in diameter of the piston rod sections. Accordingly, only one such supporting end block will be described, it being understood that the structure of the supporting end block of the opposite extremity is conveniently substantially the same.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 6 there is thus provided end block 50 having a chamber 51 formed therein by casting or machining. The end walls 52 and 53 of end block 50 are bored to receive the extremity of piston rod section 18A, and provided with suitable sealing rings 54 and 55. Plug 42, which is conveniently welded to the end of piston rod section 12A is conveniently provided with a threaded portion 56 to Which plate 57 is secured, the latter being bolted to end block 50 by bolts 58. Inner cavity 51 is supplied with fluid through hydraulic fluid inlet ports 59. The extremity of hollow piston rod 18A is provided with a plurality of longitudinal slots 60 communicating with cavity 51 so that fluid may flow into or out of the interior of piston rod section 18A.

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of end block 50 as it appears in the plane indicated by the line 77 in FIG. 6.

Traveling cylinder 12 is closed at its opposite extremities by cylinder heads 61 and 62 and providing a closure for cylinder portions A and B, respectively, and an abutment against which pressure exerted on the hydraulic fluid is converted into motion of the traveling cylinder 12 in either direction according to a predetermined program or sequence of operation as may be directed by the operator or by electrical control means associated with the rotary car dumping apparatus. Cylinder heads 61 and 62 are provided with suitable packing elements 63 and 64 for sealing the hydraulic cylinder 12, and at the same time permitting sliding movement of the cylinder with respect to the stationary piston rod 18. Carriage frame 10 is anchored to or secured to the traveling cylinder 12 by any suitable means, one such means being shown in FIG. 9

FIG 9 shows one end of the traveling cylinder 12 and a mode of securing said end to the carriage 10. Portion 18B of the fixed piston rod 18 is shown in cross-section. Throat 64 in piston rod portion 18B guides hydraulic fluid into the channels 45 within piston 40. Collar 65 retains packing sleeve 63 in operative compressing relation with packing 66. Bushing 61 as shown in FIG. 9 is provided with a relatively large flange portion 61a which is adapted to be secured, as by bolts 67 shown in dotted lines to end plate 70 which, as shown in FIG. 6, is integral with carriage 10, or made so by welding or otherwise fastening thereto.

Retaining collar 71, which is conveniently bolted to bushing 61, coacts with locking ring 72, which is secured to cylinder 12 by being circumferentially keyed thereto, to tightly seal the machined end of cylinder 12 to the -2) machined inner surface 73 of bushing 61. O-ring 74 aids efiecting a tight seal for the cylinder head or bushing 61.

FIG. shows a cross'section of the cylinder 12 and, in part, the adjacent carriage frame in the plane indicated by the line 1010 in FIG. 6. Collar 75 is conveniently welded to cylinder 12 as shown and is provided with tapped projections 76 to which carriage body rib plate 77 is conveniently bolted by bolts, not shown, in FIG. 10. Plate 77 is in turn directly secured to the carriage body 10.

FIG. 11 is a view of the cylinder head 62 at the opposite end of cylinder 12 and shows portion 18A of hollow piston rod 18 in cross-section. The structure is quite similar to the cylinder head 61 of FIG. 9 with the exception that flange 62a is less extensive. This flange portion has bolt receiving taps 68 therein adapted to receive bolts not shown, acting to secure retaining collar 80 in coacting relation with locking ring 81 and thus tightly hold cylinder head 62 in sealing engagement with cylinder 12. Collar 82, like collar 65, retains packing sleeve 83 in operative compressive relation with packing 64 which may be, for example, oil soaked leather sealing rings, or other conventional seals. O-ring 84 also aids in sealing the end of cylinder 12.

In FIG. 6 thrust blocks for the right and left hand ends of the hydraulic cylinder-piston assembly are shown in dotted lines. Greater detail for one of these structures is shown in FIGS. 12 through 14, it being understood the other is similar to it. In general, thrust block 32 surrounds the end of the piston rod 18 which is adjacent the engaging arm end of the carriage when the latter is fully retracted as shown in FIG. 2.

Block 32 is mounted on supporting arm which also supports one end of guide 13, and is conveniently formed of mating blocks 90 and 91 each being provided with matching semicircular grooves and providing a clearance 92 encircling the rod portion 133. Mating blocks 90 and 21 are clamped together and secured to sill block 31 carried by arm 39 by suitable fastening means, e.g. bolts 94. Spring 95 biased between pedestal or anchor plate 31 and rod portion 188 stabilizes the rod within the thrust block. Thrust forces from the fiuid inlet-outlet head 50 are transmitted to block 32 through thrust bearing 96.

FIG. 14 is an elevation of anchor block 32, and a cross-section of piston rod portion 183 as it appears in the plane indicated by the line 1414 of FIG. 12. In fragmentary view, there is also shown a portion of the arm 11 and a portion of the carriage body 16. Pedestal plate 31 is shown and the arrangement by which anchor block 32 is bolted thereto is also indicated in dotted lines. Traveling cylinder 12 is shown along with the projections extending from collar 76 (FIG. 6) and providing means for securing to carriage body at plate 77.

In a typical operation, the car acceleration control devices of the present invention, when acting as ejectors, are designed to push one or two empty cars out of the dumper at a speed of 450 ft. per minute. The course of such exit speed will vary from one installation to another in accordance with the requirements of the installation. As indicated above, the car acceleration controllers hereof are situated in the dumper such that the engaging arm will engage the pushing pad or cheek plate of the car in the dumper, or the lead car if two cars are being dumped simultaneously. As the rotary car dumper is making its return to normal upright position, or to the zero rotation position, the apparatus is in a position ready to start its contacting motion, i.e. in position at the extreme right hand end of the travel along piston rod 18 as shown in the annexed drawings. As the car dumper sits at zero rotation, the car acceleration controlling apparatus moves ahead at slow speed until the arm 11 engages the pushing pad of the lead car. At this point, the power ejection stroke is triggered and continues until the car is accelerated to a desired velocity, e.g. 450 ft. per minute. The apparatus which is here being used as an ejector, and the empty car or cars then coast until the acceleration controller approaches the end of its travel which, as indicated above, may be 12 feet. At this point, i.e., approaching the end of the travel, the carriage is rotated by actuating the hydraulic cylinder 28 so that the arm 11 is clear of the cars. The acceleration controller is then decelerated to a stop at the extreme end of the forward travel.

After the carriage motion stops, the ejector remains at rest while the empty car or cars continue to roll on out of the dumper, and the loaded cars are pushed into the dumper by other means, not herein described or shown, but which are conventional in such devices. When the incoming car, or cars, has been retarded to a stop, the position of the car is monitored by any suitable means, such as an infrared light spotting monitor. Retardation may be effected by the same apparatus as used for ejecting utilizing a reversal of the operations above described. It the car has been spotted within the permissible tolerances, a permissive signal is given by such monitor so that the next dumping cycle may be started. If the cars have not been spotted within the permissible tolerances, no permissive signal is given and the operator must continue with the dumping operation and utilize the barney and incoming cars to push out the incorrectly spotted cars after they have been dumped. The absence of a permissive signal from a spotting monitor acts to override the signal given by the tripping of a limit switch at the extremity of a full stroke of an ejector arm carriage which already limits the next phase of the operation.

When a permissive signal has been given by the spotting monitor, the next dumping signal is initiated by the operator, and rotation to dumping position begins. As the dumper starts to rotate the return motion of the carriage is begun. If the traveling (to the right as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) is a small distance, the engaging arm carriage is rotated again by hydraulic means 28 to a position where it will clear the car clamp guides 36 (FIG. 3), and also will clear the sides of the car or cars being dumped.

The return motion of the acceleration controlling apparatus continues at a slow speed until it approaches the end of the return stroke. Limit switches are provided so that they will be tripped successively by the carriage at the end of the return stroke. The return motion is halted when the carriage trips that limit switch which corresponds to the position of the end of the lead car as determined by the spotting monitor. The carriage is then in a position to repeat the cycle of ejecting emptied cars when the rotary car dumper returns to the zero rotation position.

It should be understood that the monitoring means and control means for programming the operation of the acceleration controllers of this invention may be varied widely from one installation to another. These means form no part of the present invention, and are referred to only for the purpose of clarifying the manner in which these devices operate.

In some installations it is impractical to provide run on tracks to one end of the car dumper and run-off tracks from the other end. In such case, the run-on track may be provided with a spring switch so that empty cars may be ejected from the same end of the car dumper where they entered, In such an installation, the acceleration controlling devices of this invention may be used to engage the incoming full car or cars, retard the speed or negatively accelerate to a stop at a predetermined position for dumping and by reversing the cycle of operation, serve to positively accelerate the empty car or cars from rest to eject from the dumper along the same path the car entered until diverted by operation of the spring switch.

Also, there may be used more than one of the acceleration controlling devices in a given rotary car dumping cradle. For example, one device may be used for retarding and positioning incoming cars, another may be used for ejecting empty cars. The hydraulic or pneumatic means actuating the devices of this invention are actuated in time sequence with the dumping cycle. Any suitable means for programming the operation may be used including visual-manual means, although the apparatus does lend itself well to automatic programming and operation.

Other modes of applying the principle of this invention may be employed instead of those specifically set forth above, changes being made as regards the details herein disclosed, provided the elements set forth in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such be employed.

It is, therefore, particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as the invention:

1. In a rotary railroad car dumping apparatus having a rotatable cradle with a trackway extending longitudinally therethrough, means for controlling the change of speed of a car along the trackway including:

(a) an elongated longitudinally immovable piston rod mounted in the dumping apparatus parallel to the trackway;

(b) a piston intermediate the extremities of the iston rod;

(c) a traveling cylinder surrounding the piston and mounted on the piston rod for movement therealong in either direction from the piston;

(d) hydrulic means coacting between the cylinder and the piston, for moving the cylinder along the piston rod;

(e) means for angularly displacing the cylinder about an axis parallel to the axis of the cradle; and

(if) an arm carried by the cylinder designed to engage an end portion of a railroad car and positionable into and out of engagement with an end portion of a railroad car on the trackway in response to the angular displacement of the cylinder, said arm remaining at all times outside the trackway regardless of its operative or inoperative position, and said arm adapted to push said car in either direction on said trackway.

2. In a rotary railroad car dumping apparatus having a rotatable cradle with the trackway extending longitudinally therethrough, means for controlling the change of speed of a car along the trackway including:

(a) an elongated support pivotally mounted parallel to the trackway for limited rotation about an axis parallel to the trackway;

(b) an elongated piston rod secured to the support in parallel spaced relation to the support for unitary rotational movement therewith;

(c) a piston fixedly disposed on the piston rod intermediate its ends;

(d) a carriage mounted on the support for movement therealong;

(e) a cylinder secured to the carriage for movement therewith, the cylinder surrounding the piston and mounted on the piston rod for movement therealong in either direction from the piston;

(f) hydraulic means coacting between the cylinder and piston, for moving the cylinder along the piston rod in either direction whereby the carriage moves in either direction along the support;

(g) means for mounting the carriage on the said support, said means designed to keep the carriage moving along an axis, which is in fixed parallel relation to the axis of the support;

(h) an arm secured to the carriage and extending therefrom, designed to engage an end portion of a railroad car and positionable into and out of engagement with an end portion of a railroad car on the trackway in response to angular displacement of the ca-rriage about an axis parallel to the axis of the cradle, said arm remaining at all times outside the trackway regardless of its operative or inoperative position, and said arm adapted to push said car in either direction on said trackway; and

(i) means for angularly displacing the support.

3. The control means of claim 2, wherein when the support and carriage are in a vertical plane, the means for mounting includes:

(a) a horizontally disposed groove in one side of the support;

(b) a vertically disposed groove in the other side of the support;

(0) a wheel horizontally mounted on an adjacent side of the carriage for movement in the horizontal groove;

and

(d) a wheel vertically mounted on an adjacent side of the carriage for movement in the vertical groove.

4. In a rotary railroad car dumping apparatus having a rotatable cradle frame, means for controlling the change of speed of the car including:

(a) a car engaging arm carriage having an upstanding arm adapted to engage a portion of a railroad car and extending from one end of said carriage, said carriage including at each end thereof horizontal and vertical positioning roller means,

(b) an elongated longitudinally immovable piston rod,

(c) carriage guiding and supporting means disposed in parallel spaced relation to said piston rod and including channel means adapted to coact with said roller means for stabilizing said carriage means during movement along said guiding and supporting means,

(d) anchoring means at the extremities of said carriage guiding and supporting means for securing said guide and support means,

(e) bracket means coacting between said cradle frame and said anchoring means including pivots disposed in a common axis of rotation and parallel to the axis of rotation of said cradle for positioning said anchoring means in fixed longitudinal position relative to said cradle frame and permitting limited rotation of said guiding and supporting means about said pivot axis,

(f) means coacting with said anchoring means for securing said piston rod in fixed parallel relation to said carriage guiding and supporting means,

(g) an immovable piston disposed intermediate the extremities of said piston rod,

(h) traveling cylinder means adapted to coact with said piston and secured to said carriage for movement relative to said piston, and said rotatable cradle frame,

(i) hydraulic means for effecting movement of said cylinder back and forth along said piston rod, and

(3') means coacting with said bracket means for positioning said arm into and out of engagement with said railroad car.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which the means coacting with the bracket means for positioning the arm includes a hydraulic ram secured to the cradle frame, and a laterally extending arm integral with the anchoring means at one end of the carriage guiding and supporting means adapted to coast with said hydraulic ram.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,221,662 4/1917 B-oggs 214-55 1,580,836 4/1926 McGahey 104-259 X 1,616,368 2/1927 Harmon 214-55 2,001,716 5/ 1935 Gartin 92-117 2,017,392 10/1935 Black 104-256 2,726,641 12/1955 Herpola 92-117 2,784,852 3/1957 Strauss et al 104-162 X 2,799,226 7/1957 Kangas 92-117 X 2,861,551 11/1958 Simons 92-117 X 2,948,235 8/1960 Stamler et al 104-162 3,075,476 1/1963 Penn et al 104-256 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Examiner. 

1. IN A ROTARY RAIROAD CAR DUMPING APPARATUS HAVING A ROTATABLE CRADLE WITH A TRACKWAY EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THERETHROUGH, MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE CHANGE OF SPEED OF A CAR ALONG THE TRACKWAY INCLUDING: (A) AN ELONGATED LONGITUDINALLY IMMOVABLE PISTON ROD MOUNTED IN THE DUMPING APPARATUS PARALLEL TO THE TRACKWAY; (B) A PISTON INTERMEDIATE THE EXTREMITIES OF THE PISTON ROD; (C) A TRAVELING CYLINDER SURROUNDING THE PISTON AND MOUNTED ON THE PISTON ROD FOR MOVEMENT THEREALONG IN EITHER DIRECTION FROM THE PISTON; (D) HYDRAULIC MEANS COACTING BETWEEN THE CYLINDER AND THE PISTON, FOR MOVING THE CYLINDER ALONG THE PISTON ROD; (E) MEANS FOR ANGULARLY DISPLACING THE CYLINDER ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE CRADLE; AND (;) AN ARM CARRIED BY THE CYLINDER DESIGNED TO ENGAGE AN END PORTION OF A RAILROAD CAR AND POSITIONABLE INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH AN END PORTION OF A RAILROAR CAR ON THE TRACKWAY IN RESPONSE TO THE ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT OF THE CYLINDER, SAID ARM REMAINING AT ALL TIMES OUTSIDE THE TRACKWAY REGARDLESS OF ITS OPERATIVE OR INOPERATIVE POSITION, AND SAID ARM ADAPTED TO PUSH SAID CAR IN EITHER DIRECTION ON SAID TRACKWAY. 